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Fundamentals of HR Management, 8e (Noe)


Chapter 1 Managing Human Resources

1) Managers and economists traditionally have seen human resource management as a source of
value to their organizations.

2) Human resources cannot be imitated.

3) High-performance work systems have been essential in making organizations strong enough
to weather the storm of a recession and remain profitable when the economy begins to expand
after the recession.

4) No two human resource departments have precisely the same roles and responsibilities.

5) An organization makes selection decisions in order to add employees to its workforce, as well
as to transfer existing employees to new positions.

6) Establishing and administering personnel policies allows a company to handle problematic


situations more fairly and objectively than if it addressed such incidents on a case-by-case basis.

7) When a person evaluating performance is not familiar with the details of a job, outcomes tend
to be easier to evaluate than specific behaviors.

8) Human resource management requires the ability to communicate through a variety of


channels.

9) Human resource management is increasingly becoming a purely administrative function.

10) Evidence-based HR refers to the practice of initiating disciplinary action against employees
only in the presence of clear and demonstrable proof of undesirable behavior.

11) In organizations with sustainable strategies, the HR departments focus on employee


development and empowerment rather than short-term costs.

12) HR competencies are the sets of knowledge and skills associated with successful human
1
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written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
resource management.

13) The clusters of competencies needed by human resource professionals include technical,
interpersonal, business, and leadership competencies.

14) The supervisors in an organization play a key role in employee relations because they are
most often the voice of management for the employees.

15) The right of free consent states that employers can conceal the nature of a job while hiring an
employee for a particular position.

2
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written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
16) Gia feels that being denied a promotion has more to do with her being a woman than with
her overall performance. However, her supervisors and the HR department are refusing to hear
her case. This suggests that Gia has been denied her right to due process.

17) In companies that are ethical and successful, senior executives are the only stakeholders who
are responsible for the actions of the company.

18) For human resource practices to be considered ethical, they must result in the greatest good
for the largest number of people.

19) The role of an HR generalist is essentially limited to recruitment and selection.

20) The vast majority of HRM professionals have a college degree.

21) The concept of "human resource management" implies that employees are
A) a secondary component of a business.
B) troublesome and need to be monitored.
C) resources of the employer.
D) an unnecessary cost to an employer.
E) a rare component of the business world.

22) In the context of human resource management, human capital refers to the
A) wages, benefits, and other costs incurred in support of HR functions in an organization.
B) cash, equipment, technology, and facilities that an organization uses.
C) tax-deferred value of an employee's 401(k) plan.
D) organization's employees, which add economic value to the company.
E) total budget allocated to the HR department in an organization.

23) Which of the following describes the employees of an organization in terms of their training,
experience, judgment, intelligence, relationships, and insight?
A) capital expense
B) human capital
C) tangible capital
D) traditional management
E) working capital

24) Chris, the director of operations, strongly believes that human resource management (HRM)
is critical to the success of organizations. Jamie, the CFO of the organization, opposes Chris'
view because she thinks HRM is an unnecessary expense for the company. Which statement
weakens Jamie's belief?
A) HRM is highly substitutable and interchangeable.
B) HRM is easily available for all companies to utilize.
C) HRM helps an organization imitate human resources at a high-performing competitor.
D) HRM ensures that persons with high levels of the needed skills and knowledge are easily
found.
E) HRM is indispensable for building a competitive advantage.

3
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25) How do human resources professionals provide an organization with a sustainable
competitive advantage?
A) They manage commonly available resources.
B) They help the organization do what competitors are doing.
C) They keep the organization focused on the short term.
D) They hire high-quality employees who provide a needed service as they perform many critical
functions.
E) They hire employees who are very enthusiastic despite lacking job experience and training.

26) In the context of today's organizations, which statement is true of employees?


A) Employees are not easily replaced parts of a system; they are the source of a company's
success or failure.
B) Employees have good substitutes when the substitutes are well trained and highly motivated.
C) Employees with high levels of the required skills and knowledge can be easily imitated.
D) Employees within an organization seldom perform critical functions.
E) Employees do not have the right to refuse to do what violates their moral beliefs.

27) Identify the correct statement regarding human resources.


A) Human resources can be imitated.
B) Human resources are commonly found.
C) Human resources have no good substitutes.
D) Human resources seldom perform critical functions.
E) Human resources are interchangeable, easily replaced parts of a system.

28) Motorama, an automobile manufacturing company, had the largest number of its employees
in the manufacturing sector last year. Instead of hiring more employees, the company decided to
invest heavily in training its employees on automotive maintenance and design. Which belief has
most likely led the company to make this decision?
A) The employees in the company are interchangeable.
B) The employees are the source of the company's success or failure.
C) The union employees in the company will resign once their contract expires.
D) A majority of the employees own shares in the company.
E) A majority of the employees in the company have an automotive engineering background.

29) Peter, the human resource manager at Tinker Inc., has a clear understanding of the firm's
business. This enables him to comprehend the various needs of the business and help the
company meet its goals for attracting, keeping, and developing employees with the required
skills. This scenario indicates Peter's responsibility of
A) providing administrative services.
B) preparing a job analysis.
C) providing business partner services.
D) creating a job design.
E) maintaining positive employee relations.

4
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30) Holly is a member of the human resource department at Invert Corp. Setting a goal to
enhance the firm's strategy, Holly works to attain it by understanding the current human
resources. Through a series of surveys, interviews, and observations, she learns what talents the
various departments of Invert Corp. are currently in need of, and attracts new human resources
according to those requirements. What kind of HRM responsibility does this example illustrate?
A) HRM's responsibility to handle administrative tasks
B) HRM's responsibility to serve as a strategic partner
C) HRM's responsibility to carry out transactions
D) HRM's responsibility to develop effective systems
E) HRM's responsibility to answer questions

31) How can an HR department that is considered its company's strategic partner help the
company gain a competitive advantage?
A) by handling administrative tasks with a commitment to quality
B) by providing business partner services to meet the company's goals
C) by providing skills training and career development programs
D) by understanding the existing human resources and providing new ones
E) by answering questions on employee hiring and benefits

32) Katie works in the human resource department at Zeus Corp. Her chief responsibilities
include administering salaries, determining incentives, managing group insurance, and employee
vacation and leave. Which human resource management function is being performed by Katie?
A) performance management
B) employee relations
C) selection
D) training and development
E) compensation and benefits

33) Which responsibility is specifically associated with the HR function of employee relations?
A) conducting attitude surveys
B) analyzing work
C) creating HR information systems
D) planning and forecasting human resources
E) creating a job design

34) Which responsibility is specifically associated with the HR function of support for strategy?
A) temporary labor recruitment and record keeping
B) human resource planning and forecasting
C) wage and salary administration
D) development of employee handbooks and company publications
E) development of an HR information system

5
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35) The process of getting detailed information about jobs is referred to as
A) a job rotation.
B) supply chain management.
C) a job analysis.
D) policy creation.
E) a job orientation.

36) Which statement best describes job design?


A) It is the process of defining the way work will be performed and the tasks that a given job
requires.
B) It is the process of generating a pool of potential candidates for a job.
C) It is the process of identifying suitable candidates for jobs.
D) It is the technique of enabling employees to learn job-related knowledge, skills, and behavior.
E) It is the technique of presenting candidates with detailed information about a job.

37) At ICS Inc., a company that deals in software products, employees regularly complain about
the lack of clarity regarding the tasks they are required to perform. Often there are two
employees working on overlapping tasks, while some tasks are not designated to any employee.
Though employees are satisfied with the pay and work culture, this aspect of their work
environment has led to a lot of conflict in the workplace. From the information provided, this
complaint of the employees can be closely linked to which HR function?
A) compliance with laws
B) analysis and design of work
C) compensation and benefits
D) maintenance of employee relations
E) recruitment and selection

38) What is responsible for the shift in the job trend, from the use of narrowly defined jobs to the
use of broadly defined jobs in organizations?
A) emphasis on innovation and quality
B) increased demand for low-skilled workers
C) increased focus on simplifying jobs
D) lack of competition
E) reduced use of team-based projects

39) Identify the process through which an organization seeks applicants for potential
employment.
A) orientation
B) training
C) recruitment
D) work analysis
E) job design

6
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40) The process by which an organization attempts to identify applicants with the necessary
knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics that will help the organization achieve its
goals is referred to as
A) orientation.
B) selection.
C) compensation.
D) work analysis.
E) performance management.

41) Ralph works at Delta Corporation. He is responsible for identifying individuals with skills
required for the various roles in the organization. Which human resource management practice is
being performed by Ralph?
A) performance management
B) employee relations
C) selection
D) training
E) compensation

42) What term describes a planned effort to enable employees to learn job-related knowledge,
skills, and behavior?
A) selection
B) performance appraisal
C) training
D) compensation
E) recruitment

43) Which HR function involves offering programs through which employees acquire
knowledge, skills, and behavior that improve their ability to meet the challenges of a variety of
new or existing jobs, including the client and customer demands of those jobs?
A) recruitment
B) personnel policy
C) development
D) employee relations
E) selection

44) If a company, as part of its job redesign program, plans to set up teams to manufacture
products, which program might it offer to help employees learn the ins and outs of effective
teamwork?
A) development programs
B) recruitment programs
C) orientation programs
D) selection programs
E) performance management programs

7
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45) In the context of HRM functions, the activities of training and development include
A) making decisions on whether an organization will emphasize enabling employees to perform
their current jobs, preparing them for future jobs, or both.
B) keeping track of how well employees are performing relative to objectives such as job
descriptions and goals for a particular position.
C) attempting to identify applicants with the necessary knowledge, skills, abilities, and other
characteristics that will help the organization achieve its goals.
D) preparing and distributing employee handbooks that detail company policies and, in large
organizations, company publications such as a monthly newsletter or a website on the
organization's intranet.
E) establishing policies related to hiring, discipline, promotions, and benefits.

46) Which term refers to the process of ensuring employees' activities and outputs match an
organization's goals?
A) job analysis
B) supply chain management
C) employee development
D) performance management
E) career planning

47) The employees at Herby Financial often complain that they are not provided feedback about
their work. They feel that they do not get proper information as to how they have performed and
the areas in which they need to improve. They also claim that the performance goals are vague
and not measurable. Which HR function does Herby Financial need to specifically improve upon
to resolve the complaints put forth by its employees?
A) recruitment
B) employee selection
C) training and development
D) performance management
E) planning and administering pay and benefits

48) Abby works at Trader Inc. Her primary role in the company is to create self-rating, job-
related questionnaires for the employees. Which human resource management practice is being
performed by Abby?
A) performance management
B) employee relations
C) selection
D) training
E) compensation

8
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49) In the context of HRM functions, the activities of performance management include
A) identifying applicants with the necessary knowledge and abilities that will help an
organization achieve its goals.
B) making a planned effort to enable employees to learn job-related knowledge, skills, and
behavior.
C) specifying the tasks and outcomes of a job that contribute to an organization's success.
D) acquiring knowledge and skills that improve employees' ability to meet the challenges of a
variety of new or existing jobs.
E) seeking applicants for potential employment.

50) Henry works in the HR department of an advertising firm that has recently brought in
employees specializing in analysis of large volumes of data about consumer behavior. The
manager to whom these analysts report does not share their knowledge of quantitative methods
but wants them to develop recommendations for better decision making. Henry is supporting the
department by developing a form the manager will follow in measuring the analysts'
performance. What kinds of performance measures should Henry focus on?
A) The form should measure outcomes, such as timely and useful recommendations, because the
manager will not be able to evaluate specific technical behaviors.
B) The form should measure specific technical behaviors, because the methods used by the
analysts will determine the usefulness of their recommendations.
C) The form should measure both outcomes and behaviors, because both are essential to success
in the job.
D) The form should measure personal traits, such as getting along with others, because Jonathan
and the manager don't understand the technical requirements.
E) The form should ask broad questions, so the manager can discuss whatever they think is
important.

51) In an attempt to motivate its current employees and to attract skilled professionals, Integrated
Inc. decides to increase salaries as well as year-end bonuses for its best performers. Which HR
function is demonstrated in this scenario?
A) performance management
B) training and development
C) recruitment
D) planning and administering pay and benefits
E) maintaining positive employee relations

52) Which HR function includes preparing and distributing employee handbooks that detail
company policies?
A) recruitment and selection
B) maintaining positive employee relations
C) ensuring compliance with labor laws
D) performance management
E) planning and administering pay and benefits

9
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53) Rhonda, an employee at Neon Corp., develops and distributes newsletters that announce
upcoming events in the company. Which human resource management practice is being
performed by Rhonda?
A) performance management
B) employee relations
C) selection
D) training
E) compensation

54) Some of the employees of MYV Services are unhappy with their supervisor's comments and
remarks. They feel they are being unduly discriminated against by the supervisor, and so they
turn to the HR department for help. Addressing such problems is a part of the HR function of
A) recruitment and selection.
B) employee relations.
C) training and development of employees.
D) performance management.
E) planning and administration of pay and benefits.

55) The HR function of maintaining positive employee relations includes


A) maintaining performance measures on outcomes.
B) offering training programs on effective teamwork.
C) selecting only those applicants that are referred by employees.
D) maintaining communication with union representatives.
E) planning employee pay and benefits.

56) What is the advantage of establishing and administering policies in organizations?


A) It allows companies to handle situations more fairly and objectively.
B) It allows companies to address issues on a case-by-case basis.
C) It eliminates the need for documentation and record keeping.
D) It encourages employees to defend themselves by claiming ignorance of disciplinary norms.
E) It leaves a lot of room for subjective decision making.

57) ________ refers to the use of quantitative tools and scientific methods to analyze data from
human resource databases and other sources to make evidence-based decisions that support
business goals.
A) Conjoint analysis
B) Performance management
C) Workforce analytics
D) Career development
E) Task analysis

10
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58) Sophia, a manager at Mentor Corp., is responsible for workforce analytics in the
organization. Her supervisor, Steve, argues it is an unnecessary expense as he believes that
collecting employee-related information is just an administrative responsibility. Which
statement, if true, would weaken Steve's argument?
A) Sophia established policies regarding violations of company regulations.
B) Sophia identified subordinates who showed the potential to become leaders in the company
based on the data.
C) Sophia prepared and distributed company publications on the organization's intranet.
D) Sophia was able to actively recruit candidates from external sources, such as Internet job
postings and college recruiting events.
E) Sophia was able to specify the tasks and outcomes of a job that contributed to the
organization's success.

59) BrightenUp Corp. uses a set of quantitative tools to assess employee data such as
performance, compensation, designations, and benefits. This is done to arrive at decisions based
on accurate findings from analyses that can help the firm achieve its goals. BrightenUp is
engaging in the practice of
A) training and development.
B) job design.
C) employee relations.
D) talent management.
E) workforce analytics.

60) When a GRM Manufacturing experienced a slowdown in sales, it laid off the two employees
with the poorest attendance. One of the employees sued the company, saying it should have laid
off the most recently hired workers. What defense would GRM Manufacturing most likely offer?
A) The layoffs were not discriminatory.
B) The company was forced to make the layoffs.
C) There are no federal laws that apply to this situation.
D) The layoffs were instances of employment at will.
E) The age of the company's workforce has been rising.

61) Instabin Inc., a company in the recycling business, has revamped its management and
business criteria. It has also added new objectives that would require recruitment of new and
skilled labor. The responsibility of identifying the numbers and the kinds of employees lies with
the HR department of the firm. This responsibility of the HR department is known as
A) supply chain management.
B) performance management.
C) human resource planning.
D) utilization analysis.
E) performance planning.

11
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62) What term refers to a systematic, planned effort to attract, retain, develop, and motivate
highly skilled employees and managers?
A) work flow recruitment
B) job analysis
C) conjoint analysis
D) talent management
E) performance management

63) Which statement best describes evidence-based HR?


A) It is the exclusive use of statistical models for planning, forecasting, and other related HR
activities.
B) It is establishing overlapping performance goals and desired outcomes during performance
management.
C) It is demonstrating that human resource practices have a positive influence on a company's
profits or key stakeholders.
D) It is the process of ensuring that employees' activities and outputs match an organization's
goals.
E) It is the organization-wide planned effort to enable employees to learn job-related knowledge,
rather than teamwork or communication skills.

64) An organization's ability to profit without depleting its resources, including employees,
natural resources, and the support of the surrounding community, is called
A) adjustability.
B) absorbability.
C) substitutability.
D) sustainability.
E) credibility.

65) Eve & Rose Corp., an apparel manufacturer, has been profitable for a long time without
depleting its resources—raw materials, employees, and the support of the local community. The
company also caters to the needs of all its stakeholders. Which characteristic is illustrated in this
scenario?
A) sustainability
B) strategic architecture
C) compliance with law
D) talent management
E) workforce analytics

66) The parties with an interest in a company's success—typically, shareholders, the community,
customers, and employees—constitute which members of the company?
A) advisors
B) stakeholders
C) management
D) personnel
E) strategic partners

12
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67) Heidi, a local farmer, buys her equipment exclusively from the manufacturer Farm Supply
Inc. Because of this, Heidi is affected by Farm Supply Inc.'s operations. This indicates that Heidi
is
A) stakeholder.
B) business partner.
C) workforce analyst.
D) talent manager.
E) strategic partner.

68) Identify the correct statement regarding sustainable organizations.


A) They primarily focus on maximizing profits and delivering high returns to investors.
B) They focus on smooth turnover and outsourcing rather than long-term planning.
C) They are more concerned about justice and fairness than short-term profits.
D) They are less concerned about employee development and empowerment.
E) They are more concerned with the quantity of output than quality standards.

69) An HR manager can demonstrate competency in communication by excelling at which


behavior?
A) setting a vision for the HR function
B) listening effectively
C) supporting inclusiveness
D) maintaining confidentiality
E) applying knowledge of business principles

70) A human resource professional of a company exhibits the competency of business acumen
when he or she
A) acquires knowledge of other cultures.
B) responds to reports of unethical conduct.
C) applies statistical knowledge to understand data.
D) applies knowledge of how the functions of HR contribute to business success.
E) uses HR technology correctly.

71) What clusters of competencies are necessary for success in human resource management?
A) hiring, compensation, event planning, and training
B) technical, interpersonal, business, and leadership
C) technical, hiring, motivation, and compensation
D) business, development, leadership, and interpersonal
E) technical, business, training, and hiring

72) According to the SHRM competency model, which competency is part of the interpersonal
cluster?
A) leadership
B) human resource expertise
C) business acumen
D) critical evaluation
E) global and cultural effectiveness

13
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73) Twyla is a benefits specialist at McCallister Manufacturing. She negotiates contracts for
insurance, retirement plans, and other employee benefits in order to get the best possible deal
while meeting all legal requirements. She understands the details of each benefit and is able to
help employees understand the value of their benefits. This scenario illustrates Twyla's
competency in the area of
A) consultation.
B) human resource expertise.
C) relationship management.
D) ethical practice.
E) business acumen.

74) Claire is a human resource manager at Lewis Corp. She skillfully handles personal
interactions with her staff and the other department managers. She is highly admired by others in
the organization because she treats others with respect and builds trust. This scenario indicates
Claire has strengths in the HR success competency of
A) consultation.
B) relationship management.
C) leadership and navigation.
D) global and cultural effectiveness.
E) critical evaluation.

75) Lia, the human resource manager at AirTech Inc., has developed an inspiring vision of how
the HR function should contribute to employees' well-being and the company's success. She
models the values and behaviors supporting that vision, and she gets her staff excited to be part
of realizing the vision. This indicates that Lia has competencies in the area of
A) global and cultural effectiveness.
B) critical evaluation.
C) relationship management.
D) leadership and navigation.
E) human resource expertise.

76) Sasha heads the human resource team at Ensured Corp., a marketing firm with a diverse
group of employees in three countries. She has knowledge about the cultures of the employees
and applies that knowledge to build cooperation and resolve conflicts. She appreciates that all
her employees bring different strengths to the company, and she helps to foster a climate in
which all are encouraged to contribute. This scenario illustrates Sasha's competency in the area
of
A) ethical practice.
B) critical evaluation.
C) business acumen.
D) global and cultural effectiveness.
E) human resource expertise.

14
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77) Luke heads the human resource department at a technology development company. There, he
monitors trends of the labor markets within the industry. Studying the trends, Luke realizes the
company is likely going to need more sources of employees skilled in robotics. He gathers
information about the best robotics training programs in the regions where the company operates.
Then he applies that information to build connections with selected schools, thereby resolving a
recruitment problem before it becomes serious. This scenario illustrates Luke's competency in
A) global and cultural effectiveness.
B) communication.
C) critical evaluation.
D) leadership and navigation.
E) relationship management.

78) Hayden is the human resource manager at Silver Corp. He clearly understands the company's
strategy. He has a solid understanding of business principles, and he applies these to help the HR
department contribute to Silver's success. This scenario indicates that Hayden has competency in
the area of
A) business acumen.
B) ethical practice.
C) communication.
D) leadership and navigation.
E) relationship management.

79) Which statement is correct about the HR responsibilities of supervisors?


A) Supervisors do not interview job candidates.
B) In large organizations, all HR activities are carried out by supervisors.
C) Supervisors do not need to be familiar with the basics of HRM.
D) Job analysis and job design are techniques that lie outside the purview of supervisors.
E) Supervisors typically have responsibilities related to all the HR functions.

80) Jarrod, one of the senior managers at United Inc., insists that the company supervisors handle
employee relations as part of their jobs. Which statement strengthens Jarrod's argument?
A) The supervisors represent the company on a day-to-day basis.
B) The supervisors have the business experience to take up additional responsibilities.
C) The supervisors do not hold any stakes in the organization.
D) The supervisors are not a part of the employees' union.
E) The supervisors are responsible for any action taken by the employees.

81) Which statement is true of ethics in human resource management?


A) Evidence shows that HRM practices are invariably ethical.
B) The general public has a positive perception of the ethical conduct of U.S. businesses.
C) HR managers must view employees as having basic rights.
D) Most managers have a positive perception of the ethical conduct of U.S. businesses.
E) Most people believe that individuals apply values they hold in their personal lives to their
professional activities.

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82) Which view on employment reflects the ethical principles embodied in the U.S. Constitution
and Bill of Rights?
A) HR managers must view employees as having basic rights.
B) HR managers have the right to lifetime employment.
C) HR managers have the right to hire whoever they deem best suited for a job.
D) HR managers must view employees as a necessary expense.
E) HR managers must set aside quotas for minorities.

83) According to the philosopher Immanuel Kant, the right of employees to know the nature of
the job they are being hired to do and the obligation of a company not to deceive them in this
respect is mainly reflective of the basic right of
A) privacy.
B) free consent.
C) freedom of speech.
D) freedom of conscience.
E) first refusal.

84) Jayden, a manager, is rigid with his employees and does not allow them to voice their
opinions or criticisms about their superiors. On the other hand, Tonya, another manager at the
same firm, encourages her subordinates to communicate with her openly. Which statement uses
basic rights to argue in favor of Tonya's practice over that of Jayden's?
A) It enables Tonya to keep a tab on the grapevine communication in the company.
B) It engages the employees in expressing constructive criticisms and opinions.
C) It reduces the possibility of any whistle blowers in the company.
D) It enhances the chances of more employees being promoted.
E) It curbs the privacy and confidential requirements of an employee.

85) Which scenario demonstrates a violation of the right of freedom of conscience in a


workplace environment?
A) A supervisor shares the previous employment details of an employee with a colleague.
B) An interviewer does not specify the details of a job to a prospective employee.
C) A supervisor coerces an employee to use unsafe practices to keep a project on schedule.
D) An employee complains about his supervisor during a conference call with a client.
E) A supervisor does not provide a fair hearing when an employee complains about a colleague.

86) Which of Kant's basic human rights is violated when a supervisor requires an employee to do
something that is unsafe or environmentally damaging, in spite of the employee clearly objecting
to the order?
A) right of freedom of speech
B) right of equal opportunity employment
C) right to due process
D) right of freedom of conscience
E) right of privacy

16
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written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
87) The right of privacy is the right to
A) know the nature of the job a person is being hired for.
B) autonomy in how a person carries out their work.
C) control what a person reveals about their private life.
D) a fair and impartial hearing.
E) fight against a wrongful discharge.

88) By keeping employees' personal records confidential, an employer respects their right of
A) autonomy.
B) freedom of conscience.
C) equal opportunity.
D) freedom of speech.
E) privacy.

89) Michael, an employee at a book publishing company, is unhappy with his company's existing
project management system. He decides to communicate this to the top management by
expressing his complaints in an email. According to the work of philosopher Immanuel Kant,
Michael is applying his right of
A) freedom of conscience.
B) first refusal.
C) freedom of speech.
D) privacy.
E) free consent.

90) Kent, a manager at ITP Inc., was asked by his supervisor to sign a contract with a new
supplier. The contract stated that the industrial waste released by the company would be released
into a local river. Kent was against this idea of polluting the river with the waste, so he refused to
sign the contract. In this scenario, Kent exercised his right of
A) freedom of conscience.
B) first refusal.
C) freedom of speech.
D) privacy.
E) free consent.

91) If people believe their rights are being violated, they have the right to a fair and impartial
hearing. This reflects the basic human right to
A) lifetime employment.
B) privacy.
C) due process.
D) free consent.
E) freedom of conscience.

17
Copyright 2020 © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
92) Which statement best describes companies that are ethical and successful?
A) They are solely concerned about the benefits of the company while making business
decisions.
B) The owners most often assume responsibility for the actions of the company, rather than the
employees.
C) They are less concerned about the interests of the people involved in the business.
D) Their main aim is to maximize profits in all their transactions.
E) They have a sense of purpose and vision that the employees value and use in their day-to-day
work.

93) What is a standard that human resource managers must satisfy for HRM practices to be
ethical?
A) Managers must treat employees as family.
B) Human resource practices must result in the greatest good for the largest number of people.
C) Employment practices must respect employees' right of lifetime employment.
D) Managers must always maintain that customers are right.
E) Employment practices must limit the application of the principle of employment-at-will as it
is unfair to employees.

94) What is one of the four principles that guides how ethical companies act?
A) shortchange customers and vendors
B) perform only in ways that benefit the company
C) have a sense of purpose or vision that employees value and use
D) only permit top management to take responsibility for the company
E) emphasize fairness only if it suits the company

95) When Grant Incorporated, a travel insurance company, decided to introduce new goals for its
internal management, there was a rift regarding what should be implemented. Group A
emphasized short-term goals that would benefit the company, while Group B believed in
introducing policies that would create more mutually beneficial relationships with client
businesses, such as major airlines. Which result would prove Group B's decision to be ideal?
A) rival businesses going bankrupt due to a slow economy
B) an increase of quarterly bonuses offered to executives
C) studies showing a rise in the number of consumers looking to take a vacation
D) an increase of airline customers purchasing Grant Incorporated's insurance
E) a steady decline of unhappy employees at Ulysses Corp. due to new healthcare benefits

96) Which statement is true about the HR profession?


A) A degree in law is the sole requirement for those who wish to choose HRM as a profession.
B) All HRM professionals have a postgraduate degree.
C) Professional certification in HRM continues to be the only way to get into the field.
D) Usually, HR generalists get paid substantially more than HR training directors.
E) HR generalists usually perform the full range of HRM activities.

18
Copyright 2020 © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
97) What is the primary professional organization for HRM that provides education and
information services, and is also the world's largest human resource management association?
A) the Collective for Strategic Human Resource Management
B) the Foundation for the Recognition of Professionals International
C) the Society for Human Resource Management
D) the Human Resource Certification Institute
E) the Association for Human Resource Professionals

98) List the qualities associated with human resources that help an organization gain a
sustainable competitive advantage.

99) List five of the HRM functions, briefly describing the specific activities associated with each.

100) Explain human resource planning and evidence-based HR. How do these concepts help HR
in supporting an organization's strategy?

101) Briefly describe the nine categories of HRM competencies that the Society for Human
Resource Management found to be associated with success. Provide an example of a behavior
for each.

102) Explain why supervisors and non-HR managers are expected to be familiar with the basics
of HRM. List five examples of the types of HR responsibilities supervisors are expected to
perform.

103) What is the difference between training and development of employees?

104) What is the impact of planning and administering pay and benefits on an organization?

105) Who are the typical stakeholders in an organization?

106) What are the four principles followed by ethical, successful companies?

107) How can HR professionals increase their career opportunities?

19
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written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
observed time of fall and the mean time of fall , that is, the square
of the average fluctuation in the time of fall through the distance ,
we obtain after replacing the ideal time by the mean time

In any actual work will be kept considerably less than ⅒ the


mean time if the irregularities due to the observer’s errors are not
to mask the irregularities due to the Brownian movements, so that
(29) is sufficient for practically all working conditions.[88]
The work of Mr. Fletcher and of the author was done by both of
the methods represented in equations (28) and (29). The 9 drops
reported upon in Mr. Fletcher’s paper in 1911[89] yielded the results
shown below in which is the number of displacements used in
each case in determining or .
TABLE XIV

1.68 125
1.67 136
1.645 321
1.695 202
1.73 171
1.65 200
1.66 84
1.785 411
1.65 85
When weights are assigned proportional to the number of
observations taken, as shown in the last column of Table XIV, there
results for the weighted mean value which represents an average of
1,735 displacements, or
, as against ,
the value found in electrolysis. The agreement between theory and
experiment is then in this case about as good as one-half of 1 per
cent, which is well within the limits of observational error.
This work seemed to demonstrate, with considerably greater
precision than had been attained in earlier Brownian-movement work
and with a minimum of assumptions, the correctness of the Einstein
equation, which is in essence merely the assumption that a particle
in a gas, no matter how big or how little it is or out of what it is made,
is moving about with a mean translatory kinetic energy which is a
universal constant dependent only on temperature. To show how
well this conclusion has been established I shall refer briefly to a few
later researches.
In 1914 Dr. Fletcher, assuming the value of which I had
published[90] for oil drops moving through air, made new and
improved Brownian-movement measurements in this medium and
solved for the original Einstein equation, which, when modified
precisely as above by replacing by and

becomes

He took, all told, as many as 18,837 ’s, not less than 5,900 on a
single drop, and obtained . This cannot be
regarded as an altogether independent determination of , since it
involves my value. Agreeing, however, of as well as it does with
my value of , it does show with much conclusiveness that both
Einstein’s equation and my corrected form of Stokes’s equation
apply accurately to the motion of oil drops of the size here used,
namely, those of radius from cm. to cm.
.
In 1915 Mr. Carl Eyring tested by equation (29) the value of
on oil drops, of about the same size, in hydrogen and came out
within .6 per cent of the value found in electrolysis, the probable
error being, however, some 2 per cent.
Precisely similar tests on substances other than oils were made
by Dr. E. Weiss[91] and Dr. Karl Przibram.[92] The former worked with
silver particles only half as large as the oil particles mentioned
above, namely, of radii between 1 and . and obtained
instead of 9,650, as in
electrolysis. This is indeed 11 per cent too high, but the limits of error
in Weiss’s experiments were in his judgment quite as large as this.
K. Przibram worked on suspensions in air of five or six different
substances, the radii varying from 200 to 600 , and though his
results varied among themselves by as much as 100 per cent, his
mean value came within 6 per cent of 9,650. Both of the last two
observers took too few displacements on a given drop to obtain a
reliable mean displacement, but they used so many drops that their
mean still has some significance.
It would seem, therefore, that the validity of Einstein’s Brownian-
movement equation had been pretty thoroughly established in
gases. In liquids too it has recently been subjected to much more
precise test than had formerly been attained. Nordlund,[93] in 1914,
using minute mercury particles in water and assuming Stokes’s Law
of fall and Einstein’s equations, obtained . While in
1915 Westgren at Stockholm[94] by a very large number of
measurements on colloidal gold, silver, and selenium particles, of
diameter from 65 to 130 ( ), obtained a
result which he thinks is correct to one-half of 1 per cent, this value is
, which agrees perfectly with the
value which I obtained from the measurements on the isolation and
measurement of the electron.
It has been because of such agreements as the foregoing that
the last trace of opposition to the kinetic and atomic hypotheses of
matter has disappeared from the scientific world, and that even
Ostwald has been willing to make such a statement as that quoted
on p. 10.
CHAPTER VIII
IS THE ELECTRON ITSELF
DIVISIBLE?
It would not be in keeping with the method of modern science to
make any dogmatic assertion as to the indivisibility of the electron.
Such assertions used to be made in high-school classes with respect
to the atoms of the elements, but the far-seeing among physicists,
like Faraday, were always careful to disclaim any belief in the
necessary ultimateness of the atoms of chemistry, and that simply
because there existed until recently no basis for asserting anything
about the insides of the atom. We knew that there was a smallest
thing which took part in chemical reactions and we named that thing
the atom, leaving its insides entirely to the future.
Precisely similarly the electron was defined as the smallest
quantity of electricity which ever was found to appear in electrolysis,
and nothing was then said or is now said about its necessary
ultimateness. Our experiments have, however, now shown that this
quantity is capable of isolation and exact measurement, and that all
the kinds of charges which we have been able to investigate are
exact multiples of it. Its value is .

I. A SECOND METHOD OF OBTAINING


I have presented one way of measuring this charge, but there is
an indirect method of arriving at it which was worked out
independently by Rutherford and Geiger[95] and Regener.[96] The
unique feature in this method consists in actually counting the
number of -particles shot off per second by a small speck of radium
or polonium through a given solid angle and computing from this the
number of these particles emitted per second by one gram of the
radium or polonium. Regener made his determination by counting
the scintillations produced on a diamond screen in the focal plane of
his observing microscope. He then caught in a condenser all the -
particles emitted per second by a known quantity of his polonium
and determined the total quantity of electricity delivered to the
condenser by them. This quantity of electricity divided by the number
of particles emitted per second gave the charge on each particle.
Because the -particles had been definitely proved to be helium
atoms[97] and the value of found for them showed that if they
were helium they ought to carry double the electronic charge,
Regener divided his result by 2 and obtained

He estimated his error at 3 per cent. Rutherford and Geiger made


their count by letting the -particles from a speck of radium shoot
into a chamber and produce therein sufficient ionization by collision
to cause an electrometer needle to jump every time one of them
entered. These authors measured the total charge as Regener did
and, dividing by 2 the charge on each -particle, they obtained

All determinations of from radioactive data involve one or the other


of these two counts, namely, that of Rutherford and Geiger or that of
Regener. Thus, Boltwood and Rutherford[98] measured the total
weight of helium produced in a second by a known weight of radium.
Dividing this by the number of -particles (helium atoms) obtained
from Rutherford and Geiger’s count, they obtain the mass of one
atom of helium from which the number in a given weight, or volume
since the gas density is known, is at once obtained. They published
for the number of molecules in a gas per cubic centimeter at 0°76
cm., , which corresponds to
This last method, like that of the Brownian movements, is actually a
determination of , rather than of , since is obtained from it only
through the relation .
Indeed, this is true of all methods of estimating , so far as I am
aware, except the oil-drop method and the Rutherford-Geiger-
Regener method, and of these two the latter represents the
measurement of the mean charge on an immense number of -
particles. Thus a person who wished to contend that the unit charge
appearing in electrolysis is only a mean charge which may be made
up of individual charges which vary widely among themselves, in
much the same way in which the atomic weight assigned to neon
has recently been shown to be a mean of the weights of at least two
different elements inseparable chemically, could not be gainsaid,
save on the basis of the evidence contained in the oil-drop
experiments; for these constitute the only method which has been
found of measuring directly the charge on each individual ion. It is of
interest and significance for the present discussion, however, that
the mean charge on an -particle has been directly measured and
that it comes out, within the limits of error of the measurement, at
exactly two electrons—as it should according to the evidence
furnished by measurements on the -particles.

II. THE EVIDENCE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF A SUB-ELECTRON


Now, the foregoing contention has actually been made, and
evidence has been presented which purports to show that electric
charges exist which are much smaller than the electron. Since this
raises what may properly be called the most fundamental question of
modern physics, the evidence needs very careful consideration. This
evidence can best be appreciated through a brief historical review of
its origin.
The first measurements on the mobilities in electric fields of
swarms of charged particles of microscopically visible sizes were
made by H. A. Wilson[99] in 1903, as detailed in chap. III. These
measurements were repeated with modifications by other observers,
including ourselves, during the years immediately following. De
Broglie’s modification, published in 1908,[100] consisted in sucking
the metallic clouds discovered by Hemsalech and De Watteville,[101]
produced by sparks or arcs between metal electrodes, into the focal
plane of an ultra-microscope and observing the motions of the
individual particles in this cloud in a horizontal electrical field
produced by applying a potential difference to two vertical parallel
plates in front of the objective of his microscope. In this paper De
Broglie first commented upon the fact that some of these particles
were charged positively, some negatively, and some not at all, and
upon the further fact that holding radium near the chamber caused
changes in the charges of the particles. He promised quantitative
measurements of the charges themselves. One year later he fulfilled
the promise,[102] and at practically the same time Dr. Ehrenhaft[103]
published similar measurements made with precisely the
arrangement described by De Broglie a year before. Both men, as
Dr. Ehrenhaft clearly pointed out,[104] while observing individual
particles, obtained only a mean charge, since the different
measurements entering into the evaluation of were made on
different particles. So far as concerns , these measurements, as
everyone agrees, were essentially cloud measurements like
Wilson’s.
In the spring and summer of 1909 I isolated individual water
droplets and determined the charges carried by each one,[105] and in
April, 1910, I read before the American Physical Society the full
report on the oil-drop work in which the multiple relations between
charges were established, Stokes’s Law corrected, and accurately
determined.[106] In the following month (May, 1910) Dr. Ehrenhaft,
[107] having seen that a vertical condenser arrangement made
possible, as shown theoretically and experimentally in the 1909
papers mentioned above, the independent determination of the
charge on each individual particle, read the first paper in which he
had used this arrangement in place of the De Broglie arrangement
which he had used theretofore. He reported results identical in all
essential particulars with those which I had published on water drops
the year before, save that where I obtained consistent and simple
multiple relations between charges carried by different particles he
found no such consistency in these relations. The absolute values of
these charges obtained on the assumption of Stokes’s Law
fluctuated about values considerably lower than .
Instead, however, of throwing the burden upon Stokes’s Law or upon
wrong assumptions as to the density of his particles, he remarked in
a footnote that Cunningham’s theoretical correction to Stokes’s Law,
[108] which he (Ehrenhaft) had just seen, would make his values
come still lower, and hence that no failure of Stokes’s Law could be
responsible for his low values. He considered his results therefore as
opposed to the atomic theory of electricity altogether, and in any
case as proving the existence of charges much smaller than that of
the electron.[109]
The apparent contradiction between these results and mine was
explained when Mr. Fletcher and myself showed[110] experimentally
that Brownian movements produced just such apparent fluctuations
as Ehrenhaft observed when the is computed, as had been done in
his work, from one single observation of a speed under gravity and a
corresponding one in an electric field. We further showed that the
fact that his values fluctuated about too low an average value meant
simply that his particles of gold, silver, and mercury were less dense
because of surface impurities, oxides or the like, than he had
assumed. The correctness of this explanation would be well-nigh
demonstrated if the values of computed by equations (28) or
(29) in chap. VII from a large number of observations on Brownian
movements always came out as in electrolysis, for in these
equations no assumption has to be made as to the density of the
particles. As a matter of fact, all of the nine particles studied by us
and computed by Mr. Fletcher[111] showed the correct value of ,
while only six of them as computed by me fell on, or close to, the line
which pictures the law of fall of an oil drop through air (Fig. 5, p.
106). This last fact was not published in 1911 because it took me
until 1913 to determine with sufficient certainty a second
approximation to the complete law of fall of a droplet through air; in
other words, to extend curves of the sort given in Fig. 5 to as large
values of as correspond to particles small enough to show large
Brownian movements. As soon as I had done this I computed all the
nine drops which gave correct values of and found that two of
them fell way below the line, one more fell somewhat below, while
one fell considerably above it. This meant obviously that these four
particles were not spheres of oil alone, two of them falling much too
slowly to be so constituted and one considerably too rapidly. There
was nothing at all surprising about this result, since I had explained
fully in my first paper on oil drops[112] that until I had taken great
precaution to obtain dust-free air “the values of came out
differently, even for drops showing the same velocity under gravity.”
In the Brownian-movement work no such precautions to obtain dust-
free air had been taken because we wished to test the general
validity of equations (28) and (29). That we actually used in this test
two particles which had a mean density very much smaller than that
of oil and one which was considerably too heavy, was fortunate since
it indicated that our result was indeed independent of the material
used.
It is worthy of remark that in general, even with oil drops, almost
all of those behaving abnormally fall too slowly, that is, they fall
below the line of Fig. 5 and only rarely does one fall above it. This is
because the dust particles which one is likely to observe, that is,
those which remain long in suspension in the air, are either in
general lighter than oil or else expose more surface and hence act
as though they were lighter. When one works with particles made of
dense metals this behavior will be still more marked, since all
surface impurities of whatever sort will diminish the density. The
possibility, however, of freeing oil-drop experiments from all such
sources of error is shown by the fact that although during the year
1915-16 I studied altogether as many as three hundred drops, there
was not one which did not fall within less than 1 per cent of the line
of Fig. 5. It will be shown, too, in this chapter, that in spite of the
failure of the Vienna experimenters, it is possible under suitable
conditions to obtain mercury drops which behave, even as to law of
fall, in practically all cases with perfect consistency and normality.
When E. Weiss in Prag and K. Przibram in the Vienna laboratory
itself, as explained in chap. VII, had found that for all the
substances which they worked with, including silver particles like
those used by Ehrenhaft, gave about the right value of , although
yielding much too low values of when the latter was computed from
the law of fall of silver particles, the scientific world practically
universally accepted our explanation of Ehrenhaft’s results and
ceased to concern itself with the idea of a sub-electron.[113]
In 1914 and 1915, however, Professor Ehrenhaft[114] and two of
his pupils, F. Zerner[115] and D. Konstantinowsky,[116] published new
evidence for the existence of such a sub-electron and the first of
these authors has kept up some discussion of the matter up to the
present. These experimenters make three contentions. The first is
essentially that they have now determined for their particles by
equation (29); and although in many instances it comes out as in
electrolysis, in some instances it comes out from 20 per cent to 50
per cent too low, while in a few cases it is as low as one-fourth or
one-fifth of the electrolytic value. Their procedure is in general to
publish, not the value of , but, instead, the value of obtained
from by inserting Perrin’s value of ( ) in (29) and
then solving for . This is their method of determining “from the
Brownian movements.”
Their second contention is the same as that originally advanced,
namely, that, in some instances, when is determined with the aid of
Stokes’s Law of fall (equation 12, p. 91), even when Cunningham’s
correction or my own (equation 15, p. 101) is employed, the result
comes out very much lower than . Their third claim is
that the value of , determined as just explained from the Brownian
movements, is in general higher than the value computed from the
law of fall, and that the departures become greater and greater the
smaller the particle. These observers conclude therefore that we oil-
drop observers failed to detect sub-electrons because our droplets
were too big to be able to reveal their existence. The minuter
particles which they study, however, seem to them to bring these
sub-electrons to light. In other words, they think the value of the
smallest charge which can be caught from the air actually is a
function of the radius of the drop on which it is caught, being smaller
for small drops than for large ones.
Ehrenhaft and Zerner even analyze our report on oil droplets and
find that these also show in certain instances indications of sub-
electrons, for they yield in these observers’ hands too low values of
, whether computed from the Brownian movements or from the law
of fall. When the computations are made in the latter way is found,
according to them, to decrease with decreasing radius, as is the
case in their experiments on particles of mercury and gold.

III. CAUSES OF THE DISCREPANCIES


Now, the single low value of which these authors find in the
oil-drop work is obtained by computing from some twenty-five
observations on the times of fall, and an equal number on the times
of rise, of a particle which, before we had made any
computations at all, we reported upon[117] for the sake of showing
that the Brownian movements would produce just such fluctuations
as Ehrenhaft had observed when the conditions were those under
which he worked. When I compute by equation (29), using
merely the twenty-five times of fall, I find the value of comes out
26 per cent low, just as Zerner finds it to do. If, however, I omit the
first reading it comes out but 11 per cent low. In other words, the
omission of one single reading changes the result by 15 per cent.
Furthermore, Fletcher[118] has shown that these same data, though
treated entirely legitimately, but with a slightly different grouping than
that used by Zerner, can be made to yield exactly the right value of
. This brings out clearly the futility of attempting to test a
statistical theorem by so few observations as twenty-five, which is
nevertheless more than Ehrenhaft usually uses on his drops.
Furthermore, I shall presently show that unless one observes under
carefully chosen conditions, his own errors of observation and the
slow evaporation of the drop tend to make obtained from
equation (29) come out too low, and these errors may easily be
enough to vitiate the result entirely. There is, then, not the slightest
indication in any work which we have thus jar done on oil drops that
comes out too small.
Next consider the apparent variation in when it is computed
from the law of fall. Zerner computes from my law of fall in the case
of the nine drops published by Fletcher, in which came out as in
electrolysis, and finds that one of them yields ,
one , one , one
, while the other five yield about the right value,
namely, . In other words (as stated on p. 165 above),
five of these drops fall exactly on my curve (Fig. 5), one falls
somewhat above it, one somewhat below, while two are entirely off
and very much too low. These two, therefore, I concluded were not
oil at all, but dust particles. Since Zerner computes the radius from
the rate of fall, these two dust particles which fall much too slowly,
and therefore yield too low values of , must, of course, yield
correspondingly low values of . Since they are found to do so,
Zerner concludes that our oil drops, as well as Ehrenhaft’s mercury
particles, yield decreasing values of with decreasing radius. His
own tabulation does not show this. It merely shows three erratic
values of , two of which are very low and one rather high. But a
glance at all the other data which I have published on oil drops
shows the complete falsity of this position,[119] for these data show
that after I had eliminated dust all of my particles yielded exactly the
same value of “ ” whatever their size[120]. The only possible
interpretation then which could be put on these two particles which
yielded correct values of , but too slow rates of fall, was that
which I put upon them, namely, that they were not spheres of oil.
As to the Vienna data on mercury and gold, Dr. Ehrenhaft
publishes, all told, data on just sixteen particles and takes for his
Brownian-movement calculations on the average fifteen times of fall
and fifteen of rise on each, the smallest number being 6 and the
largest 27. He then computes his statistical average from
observations of this sort. Next he assumes Perrin’s value of ,
namely, , which corresponds to , and obtains
instead by the Brownian-movement method, i.e., the method,
the following values of , the exponential term being omitted for the
sake of brevity: 1.43, 2.13, 1.38, 3.04, 3.5, 6.92, 4.42, 3.28, .84.
Barring the first three and the last of these, the mean value of is
just about what it should be, namely, 4.22 instead of 4.1. Further, the
first three particles are the heaviest ones, the first one falling
between his cross-hairs in 3.6 seconds, and its fluctuations in time of
fall are from 3.2 to 3.85 seconds, that is, three-tenths of a second on
either side of the mean value. Now, these fluctuations are only
slightly greater than those which the average observer will make in
timing the passage of a uniformly moving body across equally
spaced cross-hairs. This means that in these observations two
nearly equally potent causes were operating to produce fluctuations.
The observed ’s were, of course, then, larger than those due to
Brownian movements alone, and might easily, with but a few
observations, be two or three times as large. Since appears in
the denominator of equation (29), it will be seen at once that
because of the observer’s timing errors a series of observed ’s
will always tend to be larger than the due to Brownian
movements alone, and hence that the Brownian-movement method
always tends to yield too low a value of , and accordingly too low
a value of . It is only when the observer’s mean error is wholly
negligible in comparison with the Brownian-movement fluctuations
that this method will not yield too low a value of . The overlooking of
this fact is, in my judgment, one of the causes of the low values of
recorded by Dr. Ehrenhaft.
Again, in the original work on mercury droplets which I produced
both by atomizing liquid mercury and by condensing the vapor from
boiling mercury,[121] I noticed that such droplets evaporated for a
time even more rapidly than oil, and other observers who have since
worked with mercury have reported the same behavior.[122] The
amount of this effect may be judged from the fact that one particular
droplet of mercury recently under observation in this laboratory had
at first a speed of 1 cm. in 20 seconds, which changed in half an
hour to 1 cm. in 56 seconds. The slow cessation, however, of this
evaporation indicates that the drop slowly becomes coated with
some sort of protecting film. Now, if any evaporation whatever is
going on while successive times of fall are being observed—and as
a matter of fact changes due to evaporation or condensation are
always taking place to some extent—the apparent will be larger
than that due to Brownian movements, even though these
movements are large enough to prevent the observer from noticing,
in taking twenty or thirty readings, that the drop is continually
changing. These changes combined with the fluctuations in due to
the observer’s error are sufficient, I think, to explain all of the low
values of e obtained by Dr. Ehrenhaft by the Brownian-movement
method. Indeed, I have myself repeatedly found coming out less
than half of its proper value until I corrected for the evaporation of
the drop, and this was true when the evaporation was so slow that its
rate of fall changed but 1 or 2 per cent in a half-hour. But it is not
merely evaporation which introduces an error of this sort. The
running down of the batteries, the drifting of the drop out of focus, or
anything which causes changes in the times of passage across the
equally spaced cross-hairs tends to decrease the apparent value of
. There is, then, so far as I can see, no evidence at all in any of
the data published to date that the Brownian-movement method
actually does yield too low a value of “ ”, and very much positive
evidence that it does not was given in the preceding chapter.
Indeed, the same type of Brownian-movement work which
Fletcher and I did upon oil-drops ten years ago (see preceding
chapter) has recently been done in Vienna with the use of particles
of selenium, and with results which are in complete harmony with our
own. The observer, E. Schmid,[123] takes as many as 1,500 “times of
fall” upon a given particle, the radius of which is in one case as low
as —quite as minute as any used by Dr. Ehrenhaft—
and obtains in all cases values of by “the Brownian-movement
method” which are in as good agreement with our own as could be
expected in view of the necessary observational error. This complete
check of our work in Vienna itself should close the argument so far
as the Brownian movements are concerned.
That and computed from the law of fall become farther and
farther removed from the values of and computed from the
Brownian movements, the smaller these particles appear to be, is
just what would be expected if the particles under consideration have
surface impurities or non-spherical shapes or else are not mercury at
all.[124] If, further, exact multiple relations hold for them, as at least a
dozen of us, including Dr. Ehrenhaft himself, now find that they
invariably do, there is scarcely any other interpretation possible
except that of incorrect assumptions as to density.[see footnote 124]
Again, the fact that these data are all taken when the observers are
working with the exceedingly dense substances, mercury and gold,
volatilized in an electric arc, and when, therefore, anything not
mercury or gold, but assumed to be, would yield very low values of
and , is in itself a very significant circumstance. The further fact that
Dr. Ehrenhaft implies that normal values of e very frequently appear
in his work,[125] while these low erratic drops represent only a part of
the data taken, is suggestive. When one considers, too, that in place
of the beautiful consistency and duplicability shown in the oil-drop
work, Dr. Ehrenhaft and his pupils never publish data on any two
particles which yield the same value of , but instead find only
irregularities and erratic behavior,[126] just as they would expect to
do with non-uniform particles, or with particles having dust specks
attached to them, one wonders why any explanation other than the
foreign-material one, which explains all the difficulties, has ever been
thought of. As a matter of fact, in our work with mercury droplets, we
have found that the initial rapid evaporation gradually ceases, just as
though the droplets had become coated with some foreign film which
prevents further loss. Dr. Ehrenhaft himself, in speaking of the
Brownian movements of his metal particles, comments on the fact
that they seem at first to show large movements which grow smaller
with time.[127] This is just what would happen if the radius were
increased by the growth of a foreign film.
Now what does Dr. Ehrenhaft say to these very obvious
suggestions as to the cause of his troubles? Merely that he has
avoided all oxygen, and hence that an oxide film is impossible. Yet
he makes his metal particle by striking an electric arc between metal
electrodes. This, as everyone knows, brings out all sorts of occluded
gases. Besides, chemical activity in the electric arc is tremendously
intense, so that there is opportunity for the formation of all sorts of
higher nitrides, the existence of which in the gases coming from
electric arcs has many times actually been proved. Dr. Ehrenhaft
says further that he photographs big mercury droplets and finds
them spherical and free from oxides. But the fact that some drops
are pure mercury is no reason for assuming that all of them are, and
it is only the data on those which are not which he publishes.
Further, because big drops which he can see and measure are of
mercury is no justification at all for assuming that sub-microscopic
particles are necessarily also spheres of pure mercury. In a word, Dr.
Ehrenhaft’s tests as to sphericity and purity are all absolutely
worthless as applied to the particles in question, which according to
him have radii of the order .—a figure a hundred times
below the limit of sharp resolution.

IV. THE BEARING OF THE VIENNA WORK ON THE QUESTION


OF THE EXISTENCE OF A SUB-ELECTRON
But let us suppose that these observers do actually work with
particles of pure mercury and gold, as they think they do, and that
the observational and evaporational errors do not account for the low
values of . Then what conclusion could legitimately be drawn
from their data? Merely this and nothing more, that (1) Einstein’s
Brownian-movement equation is not universally applicable, and (2)
that the law of motion of their very minute charged particles through
air is not yet fully known.[128] So long as they find exact multiple
relationships, as Dr. Ehrenhaft now does, between the charges
carried by a given particle when its charge is changed by the capture
of ions or the direct loss of electrons, the charges on these ions must
be the same as the ionic charges which I have accurately and
consistently measured and found equal to
; for they, in their experiments,
capture exactly the same sort of ions, produced in exactly the same
way as those which I captured and measured in my experiments.
That these same ions have one sort of a charge when captured by a
big drop and another sort when captured by a little drop is obviously
absurd. If they are not the same ions which are caught, then in order
to reconcile the results with the existence of the exact multiple
relationship found by Dr. Ehrenhaft as well as ourselves, it would be
necessary to assume that there exist in the air an infinite number of
different kinds of ionic charges corresponding to the infinite number
of possible radii of drops, and that when a powerful electric field
drives all of these ions toward a given drop this drop selects in each
instance just the charge which corresponds to its particular radius.
Such an assumption is not only too grotesque for serious
consideration, but it is directly contradicted by my experiments, for I
have repeatedly pointed out that with a given value of I obtain
exactly the same value of , whether I work with big drops or with
little ones.

V. NEW PROOF OF THE CONSTANCY OF


For the sake of subjecting the constancy of to the most
searching test, I have made new measurements of the same kind as
those heretofore reported, but using now a range of sizes which
overlaps that in which Dr. Ehrenhaft works. I have also varied
through wide limits the nature and density of both the gas and the
drops. Fig. 13 (I) contains new oil-drop data taken in air; Fig. 13 (II)
similar data taken in hydrogen. The radii of these drops, computed
by the very exact method given in the Physical Review[129] vary
tenfold, namely, from .000025 cm. to .00023 cm. Dr. Ehrenhaft’s
range is from .000008 cm. to .000025 cm. It will be seen that these
drops fall in every instance on the lines of Fig. 13, I and II, and hence
that they all yield exactly the same value of , namely,
. The details of the measurements, which are just like
those previously given, will be entirely omitted. There is here not a
trace of an indication that the value of “ ” becomes smaller as “ ”
decreases. The points on these two curves represent consecutive
series of observations, not a single drop being omitted in the case of
either the air or the hydrogen. This shows the complete uniformity
and consistency which we have succeeded in obtaining in the work
with oil drops.
That mercury drops show a similar behavior was somewhat
imperfectly shown in the original observations which I published on
mercury.[130] I have since fully confirmed the conclusions there
reached. That mercury drops can with suitable precautions be made
to behave practically as consistently as oil is shown in Fig. 13 (III),
which represents data obtained by blowing into the observing
chamber above the pinhole in the upper plate a cloud of mercury
droplets formed by the condensation of the vapor arising from boiling
mercury. These results have been obtained in the Ryerson
Laboratory with my apparatus by Mr. John B. Derieux. Since the
pressure was here always atmospheric, the drops progress in the
order of size from left to right, the largest having a diameter about
three times that of the smallest, the radius of which is .00003244 cm.
The original data may be found in the Physical Review, December,
1916. In Fig. 13 (IV) is found precisely similar data taken with my
apparatus by Dr. J. Y. Lee on solid spheres of shellac falling in air.
[131] Further, very beautiful work, of this same sort, also done with
my apparatus, has recently been published by Dr. Yoshio Ishida
(Phys. Rev., May, 1923), who, using many different gases, obtains a
group of lines like those shown in Fig. 13, all of which though of
different slopes, converge upon one and the same value of “ ”,
namely, .
Fig. 13

These results establish with absolute conclusiveness the


correctness of the assertion that the apparent value of the electron is
not in general a function of the gas in which the particle falls, of the
materials used, or of the radius of the drop on which it is caught,
even when that drop is of mercury, and even when it is as small as
some of those with which Dr. Ehrenhaft obtained his erratic results. If
it appears to be so with his drops, the cause cannot possibly be
found in actual fluctuations in the charge of the electron without
denying completely the validity of my results. But these results have
now been checked, in their essential aspects, by scores of
observers, including Dr. Ehrenhaft himself. Furthermore, it is not my
results alone with which Dr. Ehrenhaft’s contention clashes. The
latter is at variance also with all experiments like those of Rutherford
and Geiger and Regener on the measurement of the charges carried
by - and -particles, for these are infinitely smaller than any
particles used by Dr. Ehrenhaft; and if, as he contends, the value of
the unit out of which a charge is built up is smaller and smaller the
smaller the capacity of the body on which it is found, then these -
particle charges ought to be extraordinarily minute in comparison
with the charges on our oil drops. Instead of this, the charge on the

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